Scammers still impersonating government officials. Here's to how avoid the scams

Dennis Horton
·2 min read

Four times a year, the Better Business Bureau releases a new in depth studies on scams that have adversely effected consumers.

This past week, the bureau updated information on government imposter scams. Scam artists continue to impersonate representatives from the Social Security Administration, IRS, Medicare, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The goal, as with any scam, is to separate you from your money.

According to the study, government grant scams ranks number eight on the Better Business Bureau's list of the riskiest scams. Data from the Better Business Bureau's scam tracker reveals more people were ripped-off by that scam in 2021 than the year before. It also reports victims of the scam lost about $1,000 in 2021.

If you’re wondering whether or not you’re being scammed; the report makes it pretty clear how the scammers operate.

“Scammers may spoof a legitimate government agency phone number in government impostor schemes to call a potential victim. The scammer threatens arrest if the consumer fails to comply with their requests. Scammers typically ask for payment in gift cards to rectify the problem. Social Security Administration impersonators warn the targeted individual that their identity has been stolen and ask them to verify their social security number and other personal information. Ironically, the individual may then actually become a victim of identity theft. Fake Internal Revenue Service callers threaten arrest unless back taxes are paid.”

The report identifies the Social Security scam as the most reported and the most expensive.

“No agency is more popular than the Social Security Administration when it comes to government impostor scams. More than two-thirds of the government impostor scams reported to the Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker in 2021 mentioned Social Security. Consumers who reported to Scam Tracker in 2021 lost a total of nearly $500,000 in these scams.”

I’m often asked what’s being done to stop the con artists. My best answer is that there are ongoing efforts to catch the thieves. However, because many of the imposter scams originate offshore that in itself presents a major problem.

So, as I often say we are our first line of defense. In the study the Better Business Bureau offers these tips to help us protect ourselves:

  • Government agencies like the Social Security Administration, IRS or FBI do not call people with threats or promises of money.

  • Do not trust your caller ID, as scammers can spoof legitimate numbers. If you receive a phone call, check with the real agency by going to the agency's website directly, then click contact us to find out how to connect.

  • Do not click on links inside a text message or email purporting to be from a government agency.

  • Social Security numbers are never “suspended.” The Social Security Administration will never threaten to arrest you because of an identity theft problem.

Dennis Horton is director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau, which serves Winnebago, Boone and Stephenson counties among others in northern Illinois.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Scams involving impersonated government officials remain on the rise